By Flata Kavinga
Zibagwe Rural District Council (ZRDC) Chairperson Chamunogwa Zvishamira has called for a coordinated community effort to safeguard girls from child marriages, saying rising social pressures, technology exposure and school dropouts continue to put minors at risk.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ZRDC Junior MPs and Councillors Engagement with Senior MPs and Councillors in Redcliff, Zvishamira said the meeting was aimed at creating dialogue between young representatives and policymakers to address the challenges affecting children in the district.
“We are engaging our junior councillors and junior parliamentarians to deal with the issue of child marriages and school dropouts,” he said. “We are hearing from them so that we can push some of the issues to our policymakers, the parliamentarians and even to our council, to make sure we address the matters raised by children within our school communities.”
Zvishamira said discussions revealed that several factors contribute to early marriages in the district, including social influences, limited guidance, and changing behaviours influenced by technology.
“There are a lot of issues to deal with,” he said. “Some of the issues raised today relate to the pressures young people face and the changing world. Technology is also exposing them to things they see on their phones, and this can lead to situations that result in early pregnancies.”
He said the council and local leaders aim to use such platforms to share protective strategies with young people and encourage them to remain in school.
“That is why we are here — to share with them best practices so that we safeguard the girl child for the future of our nation,” he said.
Zvishamira emphasised that preventing child marriage requires a whole-of-community approach, with parents, leaders and local institutions playing a part.
“We have come up with a position that this needs a whole-of-government approach, whereby everyone has a duty,”
The workshop was funded by Plan International.
